Several options – including the possibility of taking no action at all – will be on the table as state and federal officials look at a possible Phoenix-to-Tucson passenger rail line.

Map courtesy Arizona Department of Transportation

Planners predict that up to 12 million people could live and work in the Sun Corridor by 2050, filling the space from Tucson to Phoenix. This map shows current housing in orange, projected growth in yellow.

E.V. key in future of Phoenix-Tucson 'Sun Corridor' routes

Several options – including the possibility of taking no action at all – will be on the table as state and federal officials look at a possible Phoenix-to-Tucson passenger rail line.

Map courtesy Arizona Department of Transportation

Planners predict that up to 12 million people could live and work in the Sun Corridor by 2050, filling the space from Tucson to Phoenix. This map shows current housing in orange, projected growth in yellow.

Map courtesy Arizona Department of Transportation

It’s easy to crack jokes about the barren landscape on trips to
Tucson on Interstate 10, but the drive time of the future is no
laughing matter.

The roughly 90-minute trip is expected to last an excruciating 5
1/2 hours in 2050 — even with the freeway being widened to 10
lanes.

The projected congestion has triggered the Arizona Department of
Transportation to look at other ways of reaching Tucson from the
Valley, such as by rail. ADOT is kicking off public hearings this
week to get feedback on options that all include routes through the
East Valley.

The plan will lay out how to move people at a time when the
Valley and Tucson merge into a massive metropolitan area called the
Sun Corridor. The region’s population will more than double by
2050.

“I-10 isn’t going to be able to sustain that traffic, so that’s
why we’ve launched this study to look at the options that are out
there,” ADOT spokesman Tim Tait said.

Rail lines have been studied for a couple decades but this
effort will result in the most comprehensive overview, Tait
said.

The previous efforts produced eight potential corridors.
Generally, they start in downtown Phoenix and reach Tucson while
going through the East Valley in one of three ways, including
routes on:

• Existing rail lines that run through Tempe and Chandler.

• The existing rail line through Gilbert and Queen Creek.

• Main Street in Mesa to Apache Junction, then turning
south.

In between the Valley and Tucson, the routes go as far west at
Maricopa and as far east as Florence. The track would span about
140 miles.

ADOT is holding four meetings each in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal
counties to get public input. The agency hopes to hear from
thousands of people as it formulates a plan, Tait said.

The $6 million study is mostly funded by the federal government
and will take until 2013 to complete.

ADOT’s study needs extensive public input to ensure the track is
built where it will serve the largest number of riders, said Serena
Unrein, public interest advocate with the Arizona Public Interest
Research Group Education Fund.

The projected five-hour trip between the metro areas should make
it clear how much Arizona needs to expand its transportation
systems, she said.

“When I heard that, I was astounded,” Unrein said. “I have to
travel to Tucson once a month and the thought of having to spend 10
hours in my car to make that trip is pretty horrifying.”

ADOT expects Arizona’s population will more than double in the
next 40 years and that the Sun Corridor will become one of the most
expansive urban areas in the U.S. Maricopa County is projected to
jump from about 4 million in 2009 to about 7.6 million by 2050.
Pinal County’s 1 million people will nearly double and Pinal County
will jump from 356,000 to 2.1 million.

The study will also tie into other ADOT studies and consider
tying into light rail and a potential commuter rail line within the
Valley.

“We have to look at this as a system and not as a standalone
product,” Tait said. “We need to look at the points at the end of
the line so we’re not just dropping passengers off with nowhere to
go.”

ADOT will also study how many stations to place along the line,
whether high-speed trains are feasible and whether any existing
Union Pacific track can be shared. A train would likely cost at
least $2 billion to construct at an estimated $15 million per mile
to buy land and build tracks. That doesn’t include the trains or
operating expenses.

ADOT will also examine a bus route or not building anything.
Some major issues will remain even after the study, including how
to fund construction and operation and when it might be built.

“That’s so far into the future that we’re really not talking
about that yet,” Tait said.

Open houses to study rail or other commuting options from the
Valley to Tucson

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